3: Michael Buckley - Dance Gate

4: Version

Reissued here via Greensleeves, in it’s original constellation – Wayne Smith on the A side, Michael Buckley on the B – we have one of – if not the most seminal reggae tracks in it’s history.
It was certainly a game changer in terms of ‘Computer Music’ in Jamaica’s Dancehall’s during the 80’s.

Famously built around a preset from the Casiotone MT-40 keyboard, King Jammy is the name responsible for this most addictive and ever-so effective riddim, quite possibly the most versioned bassline in music history.
Aside from the recognisable beat, Wayne Smith deserves credit too, for a super sharp vocal delivery – when this got released in 1985 it was an instant hit, and it continues to strike across dancehall’s worldwide, almost 30 years later.

Flipside, we have Michael Buckley’s ‘Dance Gate’ and it’s respective dub, showing the parallels in dancehall at the time, this rhythm features ‘real instrumentation’ and runs across the foundations of another powerful rhythm – Never Let Go / Answer…